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Old 09 June 2015, 00:33   #1
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Country: Australia
Town: Dalmeny
Make: zodiac
Length: 5m +
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Removing tubes

Over here in Australia we often tow our boats long distances, my last trip towing my fibreglass boat took us over 14000 klm, the trip before was 9000 klm. Both of those trips involved some off-road where fine red sand finds its way into everything which isn't sealed down, also i normally end up with a few gelcoat chips (easy to repair).

Now that Ive recently bought a zodiac 550 my plan is to do more trips but in more remote areas which involve a higher percentage of off-road travel. So the question is would it be a good idea to remove the tubes and if so are they going to be easy enough to put back on with just myself and a very handy 14 year old daughter (there are to younger kids but less handy!)

When I bought this new boat it was 1200 klm from where I live and towing it inflated seemed to have no issues, do people leave the same pressure for towing as on the water. Many of my trips are to this location which is a 2400 km round trip.

Jon
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Old 09 June 2015, 11:42   #2
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I had the tubes on and off my 530 and it was a reasonable job to do with myself, the missus and another helper. We could have done it between two but would have been more difficult. Removal was ok but re-fitting took a lot of brute force, careful feeding of the tube and loads of soapy water to lubricate the channel. We put the tubes in the back of the pickup to support them and one fed the tube and cord whilst the other pulled. We did a couple of meters on each side at a time to ensure it fed evenly. The soap and a very clean channel and cord are essential.

Phil M
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Old 09 June 2015, 12:14   #3
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Thanks Phil it may be better to leave on. Might look into a heavy duty boat cover.
Jon
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Old 13 June 2015, 23:23   #4
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Hi Jonp, I have taken the tubes off the 550 and 650 Open Pro many times. It can be done but is not easy and you often risk a bit of damage to the tube or rope guides each time.

If you want a step by step process for it let me know.

Cheers
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